The Last Day On Earth Zutara
by Emmynemmy
Summary: A Zutara One Shot.


_Look down _

Zuko wrapped his arms around the girl, the one that had become to mean so much to him. She was what his thoughts bathed in, what he breathed, what he saw in every corner and who's sent seemed to follow his mind where ever he walked. She was the one that controlled him in a way that he would never resist, yet never be able to explain. She was the one that he wanted to be honest with, the one that he wanted to become one with.

"Katara." He said softly, looking down at the girl.

_The ground below is crumbling_

Katara lay content, filling her senses with the warmth of the prince around her. Zuko, the one that she would never have dreamt loving was now the one that filled her mind at any given moment. She couldn't explain the attraction she held in her complete and utter opposite in so many ways. He was the fire to her water, the unsettling to her calm, the anger to her peace.... Yet still the half of her that she had been missing without fully knowing it. She held a gaze with the boy... more of a man in her eyes now as he spoke, his tone seeming to shift the very ground below her.

_Look up _

Zuko looked to the sky, he wouldn't be able to bring up the courage to tell her what needed to be said, if those beautiful and captivating blue eyes were staring into his soul. He drew breath for his next set of words, knowing what was going to be said would change the whole relationship, but he couldn't keep something like this away from the woman he loved.

"I don't know how to say this, and I've been wanting to tell you this for so long, I just couldn't find a way how... But I know what happened to your mother." He whispered.

_The stars are all exploding_

Katara shifted her position, moving away from the Prince slightly. He knew all this time? Unable to look the man in the face, she looked to the starry sky, which was bathing the pair in a pale silver glow. She could feel her stomach growing tight, her throat swelling in a physically sick re-action. She didn't know if these feelings were because of the referral to the kryptonite that was her mother's void, of if it was because the person that she trusted most in the world kept something of this magnitude from her.

"Zuko..." Was the only choked word she could strain from her mind.

_It's the last day on earth_

Zuko sighed, his eyes falling to the girls face, which was determinately facing away from him. "She was killed... For being a water bender. Katara..." His last word was more of a plea as she watched her face twist into a look of horror. "Katara, if I could have done anything I-" He started.

_In my dreams_

Katara lost control, her lungs couldn't suck in the air her body needed, her mouth couldn't form words, her mind couldn't comprehend what the man was saying, what the man of her dreams was saying. She had always known that her mother had passed, but there was also a place deep inside her stomach she held a flame of hope. She had always dreamed that one day she could find her mother in this great wide world, and they could live together as a family again. The woman was beautiful in her mind, she didn't deserve anything that had happened to her.

_In my dreams_

Zuko watched as Katara became lost in a world of pain, he grimaced. He hated what had happened to the young water bender, he hated that it was his people that had spread such devastation . "Katara, please, talk to me." He pleaded, almost desperate now.

_It's the end of the world_

Katara pushed the prince away from her, looking to the sky, as the moon shone down on her. "You wouldn't have done anything!" She shouted, tears starting to form. "You were Fire Nation back then, and your still Fire Nation!" She shouted. The words would mean ending what she had with Zuko, the boy that had indeed become her life. "You sat by and did nothing while your father spread his vile evil Fire Nation filth over the world." She screamed to him, her voice was desperate. She stood, looking down at him, moving backward slowly... Back toward the ocean.

_And you've come back to me_

Zuko quickly stood pacing toward her. "No, Katara, please.." He begged, she was crushing him already. "Katara I need you please, you have to believe me... I love you." He said. He continued to move toward her, begging for her, pleading for her forgiveness.

_In my dreams_

Katara always thought of Zuko to be evil. Every time she saw the Fire Nation, she pictured his face... But he had changed, he had become good, or had he? Does joining us, the Avatar, does it really make up for wanting to capture and destroy him for so many years? And does giving Aang lessons really mean that he has forgotten all her learnt in the twisted fire nation schools? And does denouncing his Fire Nation ways really mean anything after a life time of lying? "Don't." Katara warned, felling the water behind her, summoning it. "Don't come any closer." She warned.

_Between_

Zuko continued toward her, not believing that she would never be capable of hurting him, like he would never be able to do so to her. "Katara, please, don't do this." He urged, raising his hand to reach for her, but pulled back at the sight of a might wall of water lifting toward him. "No, Katara, please!" He shouted looking up at the wall which was now as tall as a house, looming over him.

Everything went black, as he was swept back away from her.

_The dust and the debris_

Katara pushed the welled emotion from her through her wave. She closed her eyes as she pushed the wall of water toward Zuko, hating every square inch of the man, whishing horrible things upon him. She watched as he was pushed the water forward, knocking the prince back, she ran toward him, huge streams of water flowing behind her in the air as she ran.

_There's a light _

Zuko fell back, but stood again quickly, he wasn't known for keeping his temper and prayed that she wouldn't push him. Looking up, and shaking the wet hair from his eyes. He saw Katara moving toward him, huge streams of water trailing behind her. His eyes grew wide at the site, and he needed to stop her, she wasn't herself, and it looked that she was about to do was something she would regret. Zuko quickly centred himself and drew a breath. He lunged forward and with a growl, twin burst of flame extended through his hands, and arched around the furious water bender.

_Surrounding you and me_

Katara faultered slightly as she saw huge rings of fire, enveloping her. She could feel the flame slice through the water she was trailing, fall from her grasp, splashing into the sand, being soaked up by the grains. She glanced up to Zuko, and say a vision of a boy in Fire Navy uniform, a pony tail atop a smooth shaved face and fire... She didn't see Zuko, she saw somebody else.

_It's the last day on earth_

"Katara." The boy pleaded, letting the fire fall, leaving the teens in darkness. Zuko stood, waiting for the girl make contact, still readying himself to defend. "You need to listen to me, please." He said, "I need you to listen to me." He pleaded. He could barely stand to watch the woman he loved so much attack him with such spite and anger.

_In my dreams_

Katara continued to run at the prince, with the small trail of water steam lining behind, the tiny amount she had left. She brought it around her with wild swings of her arms. The water spun out like whips lashing toward Zuko, the water leaving a haze in the air like a terrible, terrible flash back.

_In my dreams _

Zuko watched in awe as the water bender performed advanced moves, techniques that seemed to be beyond her, in any normal situation. The prince's arms erupted into a wall of fire, just as the sharp water made contact. Through the steam of the of the clashing elements he could see Katara's face, yet it was not the same angelic peaceful expression that she usually wore, the he usually dreamt about. With his vision impaired by the mist, he began to pray that perhaps he was just having a horrible nightmare and that he may awake from, roll over and see the angle beside him.

It's the end of the world

Katara paused, as if only for a few seconds when Zuko blocked her attack. The man she loved, the man that had brought her so much good feelings had just destroyed... What else was she to do? She called out in frustration, and effort as she picked the water up from the sand and swung it to Zuko each whip to hit him fair in the chest.

_And you've come back to me_

Zuko let his fire surround him, but it still couldn't stop the water, slicing through the orange glow and swiping at his bare skin. He yelled out in pain, as the fire fell, yet again. Katara had reached him. He crouched quickly, and flipping in a low jump, landing on her other side, if only to distract her for just a moment.

_In my dreams_

Katara approached Zuko, ready to end this battle in a quick close strike, but lost site, and with that balance, as the prince ducked beneath her. She fell to the ground hard, the sand not as soft this far from shore she slid on the ground her head reeling.

_And you held me closer than I _

Zuko watched as Katara fell to the ground, and leapt over to her. His steps such huge bounds that he made it to his damaged princess in a matter of seconds. "Katara." He pleaded, falling to her side as she stirred. He climbed over her, holding her wrists above her head, pushing himself full against her, in a hope to make her stop bending, to stop attacking him. "Katara." He whispered, willing for her to see sense.

_Can ever remember being held._

Katara's eyes locked into his and for a moment, all she saw was good, loving warmth inside his sole. His eyes so unlike anybody else's that she had ever loved, or in fact even felt capable of loving. "Zuko." She whispered, closing her eyes.

_I'm not afraid to sleep now, _

Zuko almost dared a smile, she was his again. "Katara." He cooed, letting his eyes slide closed, his hands moving from hers. He lowered his face to hers, until he could feel the warmth or her breath against his lips, smell the exotic sent of her skin.

_If we can stay like this until_

When Katara's eyes closed, she was taken back to her child hood, to the memory of her mother pleading with a fire nation soldier. "No!" She shouted loudly, letting her fist swing down to her side, she took a deep breath and sucked the earth around her dry of any liquid. With an amazing almost un believable amount of power, she pushed the great wave of collected water above her, taking Zuko with it.

_It's the last day on earth_

Zuko could only comprehend the scene in a slow motion in his mind. He was dumbstruck, but the force Katara could exert, by the power of her bending. Zuko was thrown into the air, the water flung him about so easily. He was pushed higher and higher. The only sound he could hear was Katara's desperate and pleading scream, blocking out the sound of the rushing water. When the water reached its peak, and he could feel himself dropping he panicked. He was easily fifty meters in the air and falling from such a height could easily kill him. He twisted to the he would land feet first, and taking a move from Azula pushed flame from the soles of his feet. Although the water was in the way of the flame, he was powerful enough to slow the decent by a considerable amount. As the fire collected water in his decent a steaming have filled the beach.

_In my dreams_

Katara grimaced stubbornly at the scene watching the man float back to the ground, the thick steam making the picture hazy, almost hard to breath. She could see no further than two feet in front of her, but stood tall as she was surrounded by her element.

_In my dreams _

Zuko fell to the ground hard, although thankfully not harmfully. He fell to his knees, losing his step in the thick sand, the elimination of a sense playing havoc on his brain.

_It's the end of the world_

Katara ran about the mist wildly, looking for Zuko, trying to hear him, smell him, anything! She grew more and more frustrated, as the tears came back to her eyes, and in desperation she summoned the fog to her. Taking in all the mist she formed a colossal water whip, and without even looking, swung the fifty meter structure widely around her, taking out all the trees and hopefully princes that had gotten too close to her.

_And you've come back to me_

Zuko heard the water slicing through the air, and looked up at the sliver of water that sliced through the air. "Katara." he called, seeing her now clearly in the moonlight. She was breathing heavily, the water retracting back toward her.

_In my head I replay our conversations_

He called my name, like he had a million times before. "Katara, we need to talk." He said, he was always in the corner of my eye for so long... my heart fluttered when he took me aside. We sat at a scene much like this, a moonlit field. He said, and watched me until I took a seat by him. "Katara," He started, he looked flustered... stressed. I smiled at him, then blushed at my thoughts of how cute he looked.

"Zuko." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, hoping that this wasn't to much contact for him... I knew it wasn't anywhere near enough for me. "Spit it out would you?" I asked, trying a smile.

"I uh..." Zuko stuttered.

_Over and over til they feel like hallucinations_

Zuko watched the girl, taken back to a moment that he would cherish in his mind forever. "I uh," He said, looking up to the dark sky "I think that... I love you." Zuko whispered. He looked away quickly, his eyes on the dark grass. "And I know you don't want to hear it bu-" The prince began but was cut of by the water tribe girl throwing herself on top of him and kissing him passionately.

_You know me? I love to lose my mind_

Katara looked at the figure on the ground, bringing her water around her, pulling yet more from her new position. She welled the water around her. "Zuko." She called, she wanted him to face her when she did this.

_And every time anybody speaks your name I still feel the same_

Zuko didn't move his eyes from the ground, hoping that she would take enough pitty on him, not to strike. He stood slowly but kept his view on anything but her. He wasn't going to attack her anymore, he wasn't going to fight he anymore.

_I ache I ache I ache inside._

"Zuko!" Katara screamed, welling the water behind her in a giant sphere, and with a scream threw it toward the prince. Although her view was blurred by fresh tears, adding to the desperate stream down her face, she hit her intended target. The ball of water hit Zuko with a loud slap, so perfectly it was almost like he intended for her to make the contact.

_Its the last day on earth_

The prince could feel himself falling to the ground, as if in slow motion to the ground, even through the pain of the water benders attack. He felt an involuntary grunt of breath leave his body as he hit the ground, sliding back across the ground, his bare back grinding against the gravel. Un able to take in any air, he let his head fall back onto the ground, and his eyes fluttered closed.

_I ache I ache I ache inside._

Katara stood in the warm sand, looking over at the boy. Slowly she fell to her knees, unable to stand. "No." She moaned, as she dragged herself toward him. It was almost as if she was watching herself from a spiritual position above the battle. She couldn't control herself as her anger welled, but was over taken by grief... regret.

"Zuko." She called as she reached him. She looked down at him, his face was peaceful... too peaceful. "No, Zuko, Zuko, Zuko." Katara pleaded, pulling some of the water from the close waved and moulding it over her hands. She pushed her hands against his bare chest, "Please..." She urged tears welling in her eyes.

_I ache I ache I ache inside._

Zuko could feel the pain in his chest release. Maybe it was the bright light that he could see through a white haze... or maybe it was the fact that he could feel a cool rippling across his chest. "Zuko." A hazy voice called, he frowned, who would be calling him from this... the more his name was being called the further he was being pulled from the blinding light, and the more pain was taking over his body.

"Ughhh." Zuko groaned, his head lolling to his side. "Kat-Katara." He moaned, seeing her face fill his vision. He smiled weakly. "Please don't hurt me." He said, with a smile looking into the girls eyes.

_I ache I ache I ache inside._

"Zuko!" Katara exclaimed, pulling him into her arms, holding him tight. "Zuko I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She began, but was but of by the prince.

"Katara, it's my fault, please... I forgive you. Do you forgive me?" He asked. The girl pulled away from the prince and looked down at him, her eyes filled with emotion. "Of course, how couldn't I?" She asked.


End file.
